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FEBRUARY 2015
|
69 Altitude
PHOTOGRAPH
+
RENDERING
COURTESY
GBL
ARCHITECTS
Altitude
by ZUZANNA WODZYNSKA
O
n the northeast corner of Burnaby
Mountain in Greater Vancouver,
B.C., stands Altitude, the newest
addition to Burnaby's ever-expanding
residential housing.
Located on the edge of the Simon
Fraser Universit y campus and sur-
rounded by 1,400 acres of forest,
Altitude is comprised of twin residential
towers, 12 and 14 storeys respectively,
which are being built in two phases. The
East Tower, phase one, is scheduled to
be complete in early 2015 with 95 units,
while the West Tower's 115 units will
follow in phase two.
The two cast-in-place concrete high-
rises are terraced to maximize outdoor
space and reference the sloped terrain
on which they stand. The buildings
mirror one another across a central
courtyard that is fully landscaped with
a variety of public, semi-public and pri-
vate spaces.
"The modern, West Coast design
incorporates a strong horizontal expres-
sion bisected by bold vertical fins which
transition into horizontal extended eye-
brows, accentuating the stepped nature
of the buildings," describes Tom Bell,
principal at GBL Architects Inc. who
designed the project. Window mullions,
blue accent spandrel panels and custom-
designed balcony railings all contribute
to the horizontal composition.
Facing Universit y Crescent, the
street on which the towers are located,
a central vertical spine will incorporate
public art. A competition was created to
decide the chosen artist and a design is
under development. A light component
will be included in the design for night-
time viewing.
At an elevation of 1,200 feet, Altitude
has the highest rising towers in Metro
Vancouver. "At almost every level of
this project, the views of the surround-
ing Lower Mainland are breathtak-
ing," says Darin Hughes, VP at Scott
Construction Group Ltd., the construc-
tion management company on the proj-
ect. "At the penthouse level the views
are 360 degrees, from the North Shore
Mountains, up Indian Arm, to downtown
[Vancouver] and the lower Fraser Valley."
Stepping inside, residents and visi-
tors will be greeted by a two-storey
lobby with full-height wood panelling
on the feature wall and convenient
seating. The lobby also has a geometric,
three-dimensional tile mural feature, as
well as a pendant light fixture designed
by Arturo Alvarez and a European fabric
feature in the elevator cabs.
The units themselves have high
quality finishes that complement the
outdoor environment surrounding the
towers, through natural stone mosaics,
wood cabinets and wide-plank engi-
neered oak hardwood flooring in hall-
ways, kitchens, living and dining rooms.
Residents can customize their home
with one of three contemporary colour
schemes and every home includes a
private outdoor space equipped with
power outlets. Penthouse suites fea-
ture oversized private rooftop terraces,
which are a first on Burnaby Mountain.
Low consumption plumbing fixtures,
low-VOC paint and finishes, and Energy
Star appliances were all used in the inte-
rior design of residences by i3 Design
Group Ltd. "When we started the proj-
ect, it was much harder to find environ-
mentally responsible products such as
plumbing fixtures," states Hong Duong,
lead designer on the project from i3
Design. "Three years later, they are now
much more widely available and are
almost considered standard."
The community where Altitude is
located, UniverCity, has its own Green
Building Strategy – a comprehensive
sustainability program that all build-
ings in the area must adhere to. Energy
saving strategies were put into place in
a wide variety of aspects on the project.
Some water conser vat ion was
achieved through low-f low fixtures
and drought tolerant planting. Water
retention was used as a central land-
scape feature. "The project contains a
runnel travelling through the court-
yard and terminating into a rain gar-
den containing native vegetation on the
north side of the property," says GBL's
Bell. Other water related sustainability
features include dual-flush toilets, eco-
friendly tub and shower systems, and
an advanced stormwater management
system. Hydronic hot water heating is
provided by UniverCity's sustainable
District Energy System.
To save energy, operable openings
such as casement windows or patio doors
in all residential units' exterior walls
provide natural ventilation to allow resi-
dents indoor comfort without the use of
air conditioning. Energy efficient bulbs
are used as well, including in the conve-
nient recessed, under-cabinet lighting.
Numerous sustainability efforts were
also implemented during construction.
"We find that large commercial projects
requiring a sustainability target are
pretty typical these days," notes Hughes.
"We have developed internal systems
that easily track these requirements,
such as the Indoor Air Quality Plan and
its implementation."
Sustainable construction site man-
agement also reduced the number of
trees cleared and recycled up to 75 per
cent of construction waste. The selec-
tion of materials was also in adherence
with the Green Building Strategy. For
instance, Altitude has drywall with
15 per cent recycled content, concrete
with 20 per cent Fly Ash content and
100 per cent Green Label carpet. Scott
Construction Group also used rental,
reclaimed, or reused forms for the cast-
in-place concrete.
"The main challenge for us was gen-
erated by the steep terrain and under-
ground parking structure," states Bell.
"It has been designed to be supported
over grade at the downhill lowest por-
tion of the building, with a sustainable
water drainage gallery beneath."
Despite the steep sloped hillside,
the building perimeter meets or transi-
tions to all grades, including the street
level and interior courtyard. "The loca-
tion on the side of the mountain and
the weather patterns were unique, and
required some additional down days as
the fog and snow rolled in during the
winter months," adds Hughes.
Nevertheless, Altitude is located on
one of the last premium locations in
UniverCity – a community that com-
bines the wilderness and peace of the
surrounding park with quick and easy
access to city life.
A
LOCATION
8955 University High Street, Burnaby, B.C.
DEVELOPER
Hungerford Properties
ARCHITECT
GBL Architects Inc.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
Scott Construction Group
STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT
John Bryson & Partners
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
CONSULTANT
MCW Consultants Ltd.
INTERIOR DESIGN
i3 Design Group Ltd.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
PWL Partnership Inc.
TOTAL AREA
203,356 square feet
TOTAL COST
Undisclosed